Athletics’ Medina comes undone early, Miami wins 12-1
It’s hard to know what is more depressing — that the Athletics are 12-48 or that there are still 102 games left to play in the death spiral that is the 2023 season.
The Athletics fell 12-1 to the Miami Marlins Saturday for their 13th consecutive road loss. Starting pitcher Luis Medina couldn’t make it out of the third inning, the A’s struck out 11 more times after whiffing 15 times on Friday, and they only averted a second straight shutout when Shea Langeliers had an RBI single with the bases loaded in the eighth inning.
It was the seventh time this season the A’s have lost a game by 10 or more runs, accounting for 84 runs of the their bloated run differential of minus-210 that is far and away the worst in the major leagues.
Miami, 31-28, got five shutout innings from Eury Perez, a 20-year-old 6-foot-8 Dominican right-hander who broke 100 miles per hour. He had five strikeouts. Steven Okert struck out the side in the sixth, and George Soriano threw the last three innings for the save.
It was the 13th time in the last 15 games the Athletics have scored two or fewer runs.
A’s manager Mark Kotsay believed Medina, 24, fell victim to some nerves pitching in Florida with family present from his native Dominican Republic.
“You know the emotion is going to be here and I think it got the best of him today,” Kotsay told reporters. “He’s been able to throw strikes pretty consistently and today you could just see the lack of command and feel.”
Miami leadoff hitter Luis Arraez, the A.L. batting champion last season in Minnesota, was 5-for-5 with three doubles and five RBIs, raising his average to .390.
.@Arraez_21 has 5 hits 5 RBIs and 3 doubles.
did we mention that's all from today's game only? #MakeItMiami pic.twitter.com/3STB98ZaJw
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) June 3, 2023
Miami put on a hitting clinic in the second in scoring four times against Medina.
It started with a walk to Nick Fortes, with No. 8 hitter Joey Wendle hitting a double down the left field line and Jonathan Davis doing the same going the opposite way down the right field line for a two-run double.
Arraez singled to left center to make it 3-0, and following a Jorge Soler single up the middle, Bryan De La Cruz flied to right just deep enough to bring home Arraez and a 4-0 lead.
Medina walked the first two hitters leading off the third, ending is day with Kotsay opting for Sam Long. Predictably, both ended up scoring, with Arraez hitting a bases loaded double against Long for a 7-0 lead.
It was a step backward for Medina, who fell to 0-5 and walked four batters one day after their first game with no walks this season. Medina threw 72 pitches in two-plus innings, 43 for strikes.
“I definitely hate it when I give up walks,” Medina told reporters through a translator. “It’s something I’m always working on.”
Long, Richard Lovelady, Trevor May and Lucas Erceg finished up for the A’s. The only pitcher to throw a scoreless inning was May in the seventh as Miami finished with 14 hits.
NOTABLE
— When they A’s were 54-108 in their worst season in Oakland, they were 19-41 after 60 games.
— Weird stat — the A’s are 1-24 in day games (yes, including domes, like in Miami).
— The closest thing to a bright spot for the A’s was the defense of Nick Allen, who made some sparkling plays at shortstop.
— Second baseman Tony Kemp went 0-for-3 and is an 0-for-20 skid that has seen his batting average drop to .150. Kemp is 2-for-53 in day games.
— Miami sends reigning N.L. Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcanara (2-5, 4.93) against the A’s Paul Blackburn (0-0, 2.25) Sunday. Blackburn is making his second start after pitching four innings in his previous outing.
The A’s who have won just two of 19 series, are hoping to avoid being swept for the ninth time this season. The teams that have swept the A’s are Tampa Bay, the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Seattle (twice) and Houston (twice).
— There may be some bullpen reinforcements on the horizon. Left-hander Kirby Snead (shoulder strain), who has missed all 59 games with a left shoulder strain, threw batting practice in Arizona and “felt great” according to Kotsay. He’ll join an affiliate soon for a rehab assignment.
Right-hander Dany Jimenez, who has missed the last 43 games with a right shoulder strain, continues in a throwing program and is out to 60 feet. Freddy Tarnok, who has missed all season with a right shoulder strain, threw batting practice Saturday, with Kotsay and the staff waiting to see how he feels before determining what’s next.